Ok I was in tears yesterday had it at the dealer for the first overheat and they burped 3-4 times and took it for a five mile run also replaced the cap with a klx250 cap they happened to have(this took them two days). yesterday I rode about 10 miles from the dealer and middle heat range and got a face full of radiator fluid squirting right out of the resevoir. thank god I had my visor down. let it cool a while and started back to the dealer and got another huge regurg of fluid straight out of the little resevoir cap hole. They came and put it on a truck and it is back at the dealer. I am beginning to doubt my decision to buy. They said they have some new thermostats for these bikes that have been redesigned and will put one in. Why they didn't start out with that on my new bike is frustrating. three out of four short rides on this strada have involved radiator fluid on me. My eternal optimism is overheating. deb
I can see why. My first inclination would be to take the thermostat out completely to see if that helps. Though I've no idea how the bike would run...
Deb, that is definitely NOT normal. I would document all this meticulously in case you have to deal with lemon laws.
I had that happen but found I had put a little too much fluid in the overflow (hard to see lines). Topped everything off and took extreme care to fill overflow to juuuuuuuust under the full mark. Never had a problem since.
Yea, perhaps they have it overfull. I found that if the reservoir is over full expansion pushes coolant out the tube and the vent of the cap. I am keeping mine at the min line, which lines up pretty close to the where the angle is on the back of the tank. That spot is much easier to judge by either looking inside or from the back on the outside vs the window on the front.
thanks seems like the first purge yesterday would have fixed overfill not sure what all is happening but a lot of mishaps in the first 100 miles. I am sure learning a lot about radiators and coolant. Riding a tiger 800 xc while dealer working on my bike and surprised at how I like the fit a smooth of the husky better. The tiger has a lot more power but not the same torque. hopefully will get back on husky soon deb
If you're going to the trouble of removing the thermostat, try testing it by slowly boiling it in some hot water with a thermometer. No specs in the manual so I'd like to see it begin to open 82-88 degC. I would advise running any engine without a thermostat especially if cooling system design is unknown. The increased coolant flow or if the system has a bypass circuit will also cause an overheating condition.
think it was somewhat of a bad radiator as service figured out only half was heating up. anyway they are setting me up with another radiator until can get one from husky. we'll see tomorrow as i ride whether sprayed or not. deb
That's an excellent diagnosis by the dealer. As the inlet & outlet connections are on the same tank, if there is a baffle missing between the two, the coolant will not cross flow through the radiator. They could stick something long & flexible down the filler neck and it should bottom out when it hits the baffle. If it goes all the way down the tank, that's your problem sorted.
Well I'm impressed they have worked hard on it. Me I opened a great trois pistoles and at this point I am cooled off and mellow. deb
When my Terra had it's overheating event, the same symptom was apparent. The side of the radiator with the hoses was hot and the fan side of the radiator was cold, and the temp gauge was showing full and the red dash light was flashing. The problem was that the radiator coolant level was so low that the coolant did not have the volume required to circulate throughout the whole radiator when the thermostat opened, or the thermostat was not opening because it was higher than the water level. As soon as the coolant was topped up to the top the radiator started to behave like normal, the thermostat opening would cause water to circulate throughout the whole radiator and the temp gauge never exceeds halfway.
Well I have to give my dealership some credit came in on a sunday to get my strada back to me and the mechanic even rode it a bit to make sure no more regurg. a new radiator with new redesigned thermostat. all went well over 30 miles some in traffic and guage dead center. keep your fingers crossed. deb
i got a facefull of coolant after burping mine too...like kjack i'd overfilled the catch tank...that little nipple seems aimed for comic effect sounds like your dealer got it sorted - it's frustrating when the 'easy stuff' you take for granted gives you trouble and shakes your faith
